Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department received the report of the United Nations General Assembly Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories (A/79/363), and whether he had made an assessment of the potential implication for his policies of that report before his oral statement on the Middle East of 28 October 2024, Official Report, columns 545-547.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has been clear since day one that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) must be upheld, and civilians protected. The UK supports Israel's right to self-defence, but it must do so in accordance with IHL. On his first day in office, the Foreign Secretary instigated a review of Israel's compliance with international law, and updated the House on 2 September 2024 on its conclusions and the actions the UK was taking in response. The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. Too many civilians have been killed and we need to prevent further bloodshed. What is urgently needed is an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law, protection of civilians including a rapid increase of aid into Gaza and a pathway to a two-state solution. The UK received the Report of the Special Committee upon its publication, alongside other UN Member States.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has granted any Special Mission Immunity certificates to any (a) visitor or (b) prospective visitor since 1 January 2024.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Government officials from any country can apply for and be granted special mission certificates as part of official visits to the UK. As set out in a Written Ministerial Statement by the former Foreign Secretary dated 4 March 2013, a special mission is a temporary mission, representing a State, which is sent by one State to another with the consent of the latter, in order to carry out official engagements on behalf of the sending State. Since 1 January 2024, the FCDO has given consent and issued certificates to two special mission status visits to the UK for the following officials and their delegations:
· Mr Benny Gantz, Minister of the State of Israel on 6 March, visiting the then Foreign Secretary.
· Lieutenant General Herzl Halevi, Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the decision by the International Criminal Court of 21 November 2024 to issue arrest warrants for (a) Benjamin Netanyahu and (b) Yoav Gallant, if the Government will (i) impose sanctions on (A) Benjamin Netanyahu, (B) Yoav Gallant and (C) other senior Israeli officials, (ii) end arms transfers to Israel and (iii) suspend the trade deal with Israel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern. We will comply with our legal obligations. This government has been clear that Israel has a right to defend itself, in accordance with international law. There is no moral equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hizballah, which are terrorist organisations.
Since February 2024, the UK has announced three packages of settler violence-related sanctions, targeting those responsible for inciting and perpetrating human rights abuses against Palestinian communities in the West Bank under our Global Human Rights Sanctions regime. The UK Government does not speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact. The UK considers targets guided by the objectives of the relevant sanctions regime and the evidence.
We continue to review export licences to Israel and assess, following the 2 September decision to suspend export licences for items for military operations in Gaza, that there are no extant licences that might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law. This is subject to the specific measures set out before Parliament excluding exports to the global F-35 programme from the scope of the suspension. Israel is an important trading and bilateral partner for the UK and remains part of our trade negotiation programme. In parallel, the UK Government continues to use our range of diplomatic tools and bilateral dialogues with Israel to discuss issues of concern, including in relation to the Israel/Gaza conflict. The UK will maintain its long-standing foreign policy positions throughout the FTA negotiations, including with respect to settlements.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, A/79/363, published on 20 September 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We did not make an assessment of the Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories (A/79/363). However, the Government has been clear since day one that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) must be upheld, and civilians protected. The UK supports Israel's right to self-defence, but it must do so in accordance with IHL. The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. Too many civilians have been killed and we need to prevent further bloodshed. What is urgently needed is an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law, protection of civilians including a rapid increase of aid into Gaza and a pathway to a two-state solution.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the UK's obligation under Article 1 of the Genocide Convention to prevent genocide in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK government's long-standing policy is that any formal determination of genocide should be based on the judgment of a competent national or international court. The Foreign Secretary spoke to his Israeli counterpart on 27 October, and reiterated that Israel must do much more to bring about an end to hostilities and get aid into Gaza. We have continued to use all diplomatic avenues to push for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international humanitarian law, protection of civilians including a rapid increase of aid into Gaza, respect for the UN mandate in Gaza and greater stability across the West Bank.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will take steps to review the reporting methodology for in-donor refugee costs.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The government reports all in-donor refugee costs in line with the OECD rules on Official Development Assistance (ODA). A comprehensive review of the methodology for estimating in-donor refugee costs was undertaken by departments and detailed in a Methodology report published in September 2023, which can be found here on gov.uk.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2024 to Question 8831 on China and Hong Kong, what steps he plans to take to ensure that British-born children of British nationals with Hong Kong descent who are exclusively British citizens are not treated as Chinese nationals by the People’s Republic of China; and what steps his Department is taking to safeguard their consular rights and protections under international conventions when travelling to or residing in China.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO provides consular assistance to British nationals abroad. In some cases, British Nationals of Hong Kong or Chinese descent may be considered Chinese by the Chinese authorities meaning the consular assistance we can provide may be limited. As per our nationality guidance, we advise seeking legal advice where appropriate for individual cases.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on (a) how many and (b) the identities of UK citizens who have travelled to Israel to volunteer for military service with the (i) Israeli Air Force and (ii) other branches of the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of reports of UK citizens travelling to fight for the Israel Defense Force (IDF), but the Government does not estimate the numbers of those who have done so. The UK recognises the right of British nationals with more than one nationality to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of their additional nationalities.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor China’s compliance with international consular conventions on the treatment of naturalised British citizens with (a) Hong Kong and (b) Chinese descent.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO's Travel Advice for China explains that China does not recognise dual nationality and anyone born in China to a Chinese national parent would be considered by the Chinese authorities to be of Chinese nationality and treated as a Chinese citizen. China therefore does not grant us consular access to these individuals, preventing our ability to directly monitor China's compliance with relevant conventions in these circumstances.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress of Qatari-led negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza; whether the UK has a role in that process; and what his policy is on an immediate ceasefire and release of hostages.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We want to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of all the hostages detained by Hamas and more aid entering Gaza. An immediate ceasefire is the first step towards a lasting solution. The Prime Minister - along with other G7 Leaders - has fully endorsed efforts by the US, Qatar and Egypt to reach a comprehensive deal in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2735. We also continue to use our diplomatic efforts to find a resolution and to create a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.